NFL players Brian Price, Brandon Mebane and Akeem Ayers, prep standouts during their days in Los Angeles, are returning to Southern California on July 14 to hold a free one-day lineman camp at Crenshaw High. High school coaches in Los...

Last month, I wrote a column on Ten Simple Steps for the Dolphins to take in the off-season. Well, it’s time for an update – and a thorough upgrade in some cases. If draftniks get to do several mock drafts each year, so do I. Some points...

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the days of pregame analysis leading up the Super Bowl XLIX, Malcolm Butler's name was never mentioned.
An undrafted free agent rookie cornerback, Butler played at West Alabama and worked his way onto the Patriots' roster in...

For those turned off by the LeGarrette Blount Super Bowl story -- hey, who doesn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling from a guy who quit on his team? -- the tale of New England linebacker Akeem Ayers might be more to your taste.
The Patriots acquired both...

FOXBOROUGH, Ma. -- Vince Wilfork offered a self-endorsement after his New England Patriots hammered the Chicago Bears 51-23 at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
"It's going to be hard to beat us if we continue to play the way we played today," the Patriots'...

UCLA plays Saturdays, but the school has some former players who take the field on Sundays. Here’s this week's update on what former Bruins did in their NFL games:
Akeem Ayers, fourth-year linebacker for the New England Patriots: Ayers was traded to the New England Patriots this week after playing in just two games this season for the Tennessee Titans. He made an impact right away for his new team, recording a sack and five tackles in the Patriots’ 51-23 win over the Chicago Bears. ...

For as popular as it might be to make fun of Brandon Marshall's "unacceptable" outburst, it's not as if he was wrong. With the bye week on the horizon, the Bears had a chance to revive their season by upsetting Tom Brady and the Patriots in New England on Sunday.
Then the first half happened.
38-7.
Those 38 points were the most the Bears had ever allowed in a first half, a meltdown punctuated by three New England touchdowns in 57 seconds just before halftime.
We'll ignore the second half because,...

Chicago Bears right guard Kyle Long was given an unnecessary roughness penalty for pulling the leg of New England Patriots linebacker Akeem Ayers in last Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.
But Ayers was the one who received the biggest penalty from the NFL after it reviewed the game. Ayers was fined $8,250 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness, a league spokesman said, for kicking Long in the groin area. Long was not fined for his penalty.
Ayers sacked quarterback Jay Cutler for a 9-yard loss...

Akeem Ayers Photos

UCLA plays Saturdays, but the school has some former players who take the field on Sundays. Here’s a weekly blog featuring former Bruins and what they did in their NFL games:
Akeem Ayers, fourth-year linebacker for the New England Patriots: Ayers has had an interesting year. He started the year with the Tennessee Titans, but was inactive for all but two games. He was traded to the New England Patriots two weeks ago. On Sunday, he started for one of the best teams in the league. Ayers finished with...

DAVIE - Whenever anyone asks about the Miami Dolphins trading for, or trading away a player my usual answer is "this isn't Madden!"
That's a reference to the EA Sports football game, which allows gamers to trade players in the franchise mode.
Trades are not very common in the NFL unless its during the draft, but this week there have been two that have directly impacted Miami's AFC East rivals, helping the New York Jets get better, and allowing the New England Patriots to patch some leaks.
The Jets...

The New England Patriots officially acquired linebacker Akeem Ayers on Wednesday in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Trade terms were not disclosed, but it was reported Tuesday that the trade includes the Patriots giving up a sixth-round draft choice to the Titans for Ayers and Tennessee's seventh-round pick.
Ayers, 25, had two knee surgeries during the offseason and was active in just two games and played only 10 snaps for the Titans this season. He also struggled in 2013, finishing the season with...